Internal Blu ray drive Install & MKV

[kfreeb]

I have been using and internal Blu ray drive, (externally connected) via a Wiebetech Ultra Drive dock v4, connected to the firewire 800 drive port of my Mac. I now would like to put this drive inside my mac, but have a few reservations.

First off, if I try to connect this drive through my Wiebetech Ultra Drive dock v4, via its eSATA connector to my Mac, (to an internally installed eSATA card) blu ray disks will not mount. Only connecting the Wiebetech Ultra Drive dock via firewire works.

I would like to use the internal eSATA connectors located on the logic board, using Other World Computing's internal eSATA & power cable adaptors. Once connected to the internal eSATA of the logic board, will the blu disk still mount? Has anyone attempted to install a BD inside a Mac Pro 2006 tower and have it still work with Make MKV, (mount blu ray disks.)

Mac Pro 3Ghz / 2006

[kfreeb]

Well, I thought anyone who is interested in whether a LG Blu-ray drive will work inside a Mac Pro 3Ghz tower, (built Oct 2006) I sent for the cables from OtherWorld Computing, to connect to the internal eSATA ports on the logic board.

Long story short, IT WORKS! My blu-ray drive is now inside my Mac and Make MKV sees it just fine. So if anyone was wondering if it works, it DOES!

One note though, getting the front fan housing out, (to to install the eSATA cable) was a bugger.

HERE'S HOW I DID IT:
You need to remove two sets of screws, located in the back and at the bottom of the memory daughter cards housing, (you will need to pull out the memory cards.)

Once removed you need to slide the smaller rear fan to the right of the memory housing, (about a quarter of an inch to the right, as well as the memory housing too) to release the plastic tabs that are holding the cover over the CPU's, (this only applies to the 2006 Mac Pros, latter models used magnets to hold the CPU cover in place.)

Once the cover is off, locate the top screw on the front fan housing, (on the logic board at the top of the fan housing) the bottom of the housing slides straight out, (mine was bound up tight, on a plastic guide/groove, on the bottom of the fan housing) I had to wiggle it forward and backward, while pulling straight out, till it came out, (like I said earlier, it was a bugger.) Here's a Youtube video on taking out the fan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQWnrXt5XFQ

NOTE: Now I should say here, that the video above gets ahead of itself, when it starts out with removing the front fan first, which is not possible, till you move the memory housing to the right and remove the cover over the CPU's.

Once the fan housing is out, fish the eSATA cable up through where the wire harness goes up into the optical drive bay, (the optical drive bay just pulls straight out, (unplug the ribbons & power cables attached to the optical drives) plug the left angled eSATA connector, (purchased from OWC) into one of the eSATA ports on the logic board an flatten the cable against the logic board, along with the other wires running up into the optical drive bay.

Install the blu-ray drive and connect it to the second power connector already available for a second drive, using the adaptor cable from OWC and the eSATA cable you fished up from below into the optical drive bay. Reattach all ribbons & cables to the original DVD optical drive, (last connector on the ATA ribbon.)

Put the computer back together and you're good to go!

Here's the part numbers from OWC:
Item # MICSATAPA, (Serial ATA Power Adaptor Cable)
Item # MICSATA39L, (Micro Access SATA Cable Left Angle 1 Meter)